Apple updates AirPort Utility, base station firmware

The cloud has finally descended upon Apple's networking hardware, as the company on Monday released updates for its AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations, along with a new version of its AirPort Utility network software.

The cloud has finally descended upon Apple's networking hardware, as the company on Monday released updates for its AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations, along with a new version of its AirPort Utility network software.

Chief among the improvements in AirPort firmware update 7.6.1 is the capability to remotely access a Time Capsule's hard drive or a hard drive connected to an AirPort device via USB. This feature previously operated via the Back to My Mac feature of Apple's MobileMe online service, but it became unusable once MobileMe users transitioned their accounts to iCloud; the new update relies instead on the latest incarnation of Apple's online service.

There's also an additional fix for wireless performance, and security improvements. The update applies to all 802.11n AirPort base stations and Time Capsules, and Apple recommends installing AirPort Utility 5.5.3 or later before installing the firmware update.

Version 6.0 is the more impressive of the two, featuring a graphical user interface that looks almost identical to the AirPort Utility for iOS app that Apple released last year. While it still maintains all of the features of the previous iteration, the graphical user interface makes the system somewhat friendlier and easier to use.